Memoirs and morsels from home and abroad

i ate the whole bag

I try to listen to my body. So when I wasn’t feeling well and craving meat, knowing that I’m often anemic, I didn’t waste much time. Because when I’m hungry, I need to eat!

Without easy access to a (kosher) butcher or deli here in Cambridge, I don’t have many options. Granted, my options were probably a bit wider than most given the, er, interesting way I shop for food. In my fridge is meat that I have from France – some saucisson sec and beef chorizo - and a bag of beef jerky that I found in the Kosher Marketplace on my most recent trip to NY. The beef jerky won because … well … I felt the French meat deserved to be shared.

I ripped the bag open and took a tentative first bite. See, I’m not typically a jerky kind of gal. I have been known every once in a while to make mac and cheese from a box (much to Ellie/the Baking Architect’s shock and chagrin), but for the most part, I’m a fancylittle lady.

The jerky was chewy and tough – just like a cowboy would want to snack on during the day. Not too salty, not spicy, not overpowering. Just dried meat. I reached my hand back into the bag. Maybe I would save some jerky to throw on top of a salad. A couple bites. Spinach with tomato and avocado. The picture would be nice – the thin brown pieces atop the green leaves. A few more pieces. Maybe a lemon vinaigrette. Keep chewing.

Before I knew it (and you saw this coming), the bag was empty. I’ll have to buy some more — luckily the company offers free shipping in the continental US!

The jerky is made by RJs and supervised by the RCC (Rabbinical Council of California). Ingredients are pretty simple which is probably what makes it good quality — beef, low sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, liquid smoke. Each bag is 3 ounces (3 servings) and pretty low in fat, high in protein, and high in sodium. Nutritional information is available on the website.

If only they made South African biltong or boerewors … because Kosher Heaven is no longer anywhere to be found on the web!

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5 Responses

Hey Gayle, I like your blog! We have thought a lot about meat lately. For the first 9 years of marriage, we didn’t cook meat at home. We don’t even have the utensils to make meat with. We used to eat it sometimes in restaurants for special occasions — one highlight was when we were living in Israel and used to get excellent shwarma near where we lived, in Afula (they topped it with sumac-preserved onions, red pickled lemon slices, and that mango sauce called amba). Another highlight was this past year in New York when the guy who had won “Top Chef” was guest-chef-ing at Solo — amazing food. But I digress. This year for the first time we have started dealing with meat, we order Mitzva Meat, http://www.mitzvahmeat.com/Home.html, grass-fed meat from local farms, and we bought a couple of pots and plates and things from Target. At this point we treat meat as a “special treat” that we have once or twice a month. I have never seen jerky though, I will have to look for it at Noah’s Market which is the kosher supermarket in my neighborhood. Does Boston have an organic meat co-op? -Ariela

Hi Ariela — thanks for visiting. A lot of people in Cambridge keep milchig kitchens, even when they’re not veggie. Alternatively, I have a few NY friends with small kitchens who keep them fleish. Now that’s a commitment to meat!You can tell it was a bit of an adjustment for me when I moved out here to Cambridge. Apparently there’s a trend that, in the Jewish world, is referred to as MOOSHY — “meat only on shabbos, holidays, and yomtov” — for people who typically eat veggie/dairy during the week because it’s easier and save meat (I believe that poultry is included as meat since its fleish) for special occasions, or to be l’havdil.

I was fortunate enough to eat at Solo when Hung Huynh was the guest chef there — I had sliders with 3 different types of meat, and my main complaint was that the buns were too big.

I’ve never heard of Mitzvah Meat, so thanks for forwarding the site. Were you at any of the Hazon food conferences?

I’m sure that the Jerky is at your local (kosher) market — otherwise, it actually is the same price on the website, and free delivery makes ordering it pretty hard to pass up. No refrigeration necessary. And it’s great for traveling, doesn’t require pots and pans, etc.

As for an organic meat co-op up here — I have no idea. If I could find one that delivered, I’d be open to it! But, I’m a first-time CSAer, so I’m starting slow.

Thanks again for your wonderful comments and suggestions. Lots of great ideas. And — do you have an authentic Amba recipe? I love it in falafel restaurants, but don’t really know how to recreate it.

You can actually get Biltong and Boerewors in Los Angeles at http://www.jeffsgourmet.com... they may deliver.. I am looking for Glatt french saucisson sec online, but have not been able to find anything so far.

About

Hi! I'm Gayle, and here I use my Hebrew name Zahavah. I work front of house in a restaurant where I'm learning the hospitality industry from the ground up. Up until a year ago, I was a health care consultant. Also, I have an MD. Go figure! Thanks for dropping by and joining the conversation.

koshercamembert@gmail.com

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